UAE to buy undisclosed number of Su-35

UAE buys advanced fighter jets from Russia

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to purchase a batch of advanced Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighters from Russia. The two countries also recently signed an agreement to co-develop a new fifth-generation fighter.

The Flanker-E is said to be the most capable operational Russian combat aircraft which would add to the UAE’s already formidable fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 Fighting Falcons.

“We signed an agreement of intent for the purchase of the Su-35,” Rostec chief Sergei Chemezov told the Moscow-based TASS news agency.

Commenting on the deal, American right-wing magazine the National Interest said it was “more troubling for the United States” because it was an indication that the UAE, a long-time US ally, is drifting into Moscow’s orbit.

Chemezov apparently did not offer any details about how many Su-35s the UAE has ordered or when the aircraft would be delivered.

The Su-35 is a formidable fighter. As an air-superiority fighter, its major advantages are its combination of high altitude capability and blistering speed. Overall, the Su-35 is seen as an extremely formidable machine and the Russians are starting to have success with selling it abroad.

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Well it is only time that this will eventually happen as the West keep stuffing inferior fighters such as the F-16 down their throats…. Maybe India should take cue from this news…..

This decision will ultimately have an impact in the Middle Eastern Countries and may open the flood gates for Russian fighters…..

Russia reveals UAE fighter ambitions [IDEX17D4]

Image: from web for illustration

Russia has plans to develop a fifth-generation light combat aircraft with the UAE, according to Sergey Chemezov, chief executive of Rostec, Russia’s largest military industrial complex.

Speaking at IDEX this week, Chemezov said an agreement had been signed and that work could begin soon. The project is reportedly to be based on an advanced version of the MiG-29. Chemezov also reported that the UAE was in a separate discussion with Rostec regarding the supply of Sukhoi Su-35 fighters.

Russia is making considerable efforts to grow its defence business in the Middle East region. On Monday, the UAE and the Russian Federation signed an agreement at the IDEX show covering co-operation in defence industries.

The agreement was signed in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Denis Manturov, Russian Minister of Trade and Industry. Manturov commented: “One of the fields of this co-operation is the creation, development and supply of the fifth-generation fighter jet.”

Another deal has been struck between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Middle East investors to create a consortium to buy a minority stake in Russian Helicopters, which is part of the Rostec conglomerate. Source janes.com